Maxim magazine has issued a formal apology to the Black Crowes after printing a dismal review of their upcoming album, written by a writer who hadn’t heard the entire album.
Maxim gave the Crowes’ new album, Warpaint, a rating of two-and-a-half stars out of five.
The band — fronted by Kate Hudson’s ex-husband, Chris Robinson — flipped out, and posted on their website that the writer certainly could not have heard the whole album, as advance copies have not yet been released.
The Crowes’ manager, Pete Angelus, said the magazine explained that its review was an “educated guess.” This is terribly amusing to me, as the Crowes have currently released only one track off the album. Yes, folks, one track. So, I mean, the rating wasn’t based on, like, listening to half the album. The rating was based, I take it, on the “educated guess” that any album put out by the Black Crowes at this point is just gonna suck.
Maxim editorial director James Kaminsky responded Tuesday with this statement: “It is Maxim’s editorial policy to assign star ratings only to those albums that have been heard in their entirety. Unfortunately, that policy was not followed in the March 2008 issue of our magazine and we apologize to our readers.”
This is all too funny to me.
Sure, writers are lazy bastards…. but the album is gonna suck, right? It’s not good what the writer did, but it’s probably not inaccurate!
My understanding is that the rating is based on access to about half of the album. Wrong, but still not great for the Black Crowes.
Anyway, who loses sleep over a Maxim CD review?
what a bunch of assholes!
Leave them alone… they’re one of the last really good rock bands left that are still working. I fucking love the Black Crowes!
This will probably stimulate interest in the album, to see if the public’s “educated guess” is more accurate than Maxim’s. It’s not surprising that this kinda thing goes on, just that they’ll admit it. Apparently they did the same to Nas’s new album and he hasn’t even finished recording it yet. That’s some damned fine educated guessing. Maybe they could give me some stock tips. Yo.
if only phoebe price were in the black crowes, then you would have hollywood synergy